An emotional and engaging read set in the Indian community in London with WW2 and Indian independence as a backdrop, told through the eyes of Kitty who is an Indian living in London and Ruby who is English with an Indian father. An interesting read, I cannot comment on the historical accuracy as it's not an area I know much of. Some interesting thoughts on identity.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Neema Shah's second book after the fabulous ‘Kololo Hill’ is set during a part of World War II history that is new to me. Once again it's an exploration of an Indian experience in a foreign, and perhaps unsupportive culture. It’s 1941 and London is being bombed. There’s two intwined stories – of Kitty and Ruby – as they navigate their war duties in London while also being involved in action to free India from the British. I learnt a lot and enjoyed the setting and the action, but I normally read more romance-driven plots and I felt the absence here. This is nuanced historical fiction more than romance with plenty of action, drama, risk and angst for both Kitty and Ruby and their loved ones.

Thank you Neema Shah and Pan Macmillan for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I was pleased to have read this book as I am interested in Indian independence and connecting it with World War II was new to me. However, I would have like more interaction between the two main female characters. I feel more couldn’t have been made of their characters. However, I don’t want to give this a poor review as it’s historically interesting and therefore worth reading. Thank you Netgalley.

This is a book on an important overlooked aspect of British colonial history. It looks at the Indian community in the UK during WW2 and their attitudes towards the independence movement ranging from indifference to a call for direct violent action. The book underlines that British colonial rule could be oppressive and exploitative, a fact conveniently forgotten by many today. At a time when opposition to immigration can be vitriolic in intensity, it is also worth remembering that Britain has always had an immigrant population who have contributed enormously to the culture, security and economy in this country. Again, this book is a cogent reminder of this fact. There are some weighty themes here, wrapped up in a readable, well worked story.

I was disappointed with this book, having said that, I learnt about India’s fight for independence, which was interesting.
My main issue is that not a lot happened in the first 70% of the story.
For me it was too slow, also I didn’t understand Ruby’s character.

Sadly I had to stop reading this one. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn’t click for me. The story started off interesting, but as I kept going, it felt a bit slow and hard to get into. The writing style didn’t grab me, and I couldn’t connect with the characters at all.
Maybe this will work for others, but I just couldn’t get through it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

This book is set in WW2 England and the main characters are Indians trying to keep the fight for Indian Independence alive despite the war. It's something I knew very little about and I enjoyed the learning process. In places it read more like a guide to independance rather than a novel but the actual story was interesting. Good characters, well developed; and a great sense of time and place. I loved the mention of 'court shoes'. I hadn't heard that phrase in a long time. A good ending too. Neema Shah writes well and insightfully. With thanks for the e-ARC to read and review.

The setting is London in the blitz but the subject is the fight for Indian independence and centres around two strong female characters, Ruby and Kitty. All good so far. There is loads going on and lots of secrets and cultural challenges but somehow it didn’t gel for me, probably me but it didn’t deliver.

A Thread of Light is an interesting well written book based in London during WW2. It is centered around two women. Ruby, a Londoner born and bred and Kitty an Indian immigrant. Ruby is half Indian but can 'pass' as white so has been encouraged to hide her heritage all her life. Kitty on the other hand is an Oxbridge educated lawyer married to another Indian Oxbridge educated lawyer however she is Hindi and he is Muslim. Both women find their lives frustrating in very different ways and are looking for an outlet which they find in the fight for an Independent India going on in wartime central London. I felt this book was a bit difficult to get to grips with. It was interesting but didn't seem to go anywhere. It just meandered around the houses then ended.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

London 1941 and Ruby is an air raid warden. Not always an honest one and encounters the London Forum where Londoners are working to free India from Britain.
Ruby' who has a scret reason for visiting the Forum' meets Satyajit and is torn.
Kitty is a lawyer involved in helping the men called for conscription including her husband.
Ruth and Kitty meet but are they working together or more involved.

Set in 1941, during the Blitz and air raid ward Ruby meets lawyer Ruby. This is a story of the Indian involvement in the war. Really well written, a interesting part of the second world war that people may be unaware of. Will definitely read more from this author

Unfortunately, I could not connect with this story. The premise was very strong, and the description had a lot of potential. I will say that the writer was appropriately expressive, and the details did not lack when it came to depictions. I am a big WW2, and historical fiction reader, and was disappointed that this was not how I thought the story would progress. It was more leaning towards shedding light on the Indian and Kenyan-born British population, their cultural differences and the tribulations that they faced as Muslims in the time period they were in. I cannot in good conscious give this book a terrible rating, for it not delivering on what it was advertising.
Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this free eARC and the opportunity to review this book honestly.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7536571198

An interesting historical novel centred around two individuals - Ruby mixed heritage - lonely in London working as an air raid warden and Kitty - from India educated at Oxford and estranged from her family because of marrying a Muslim for love.

It’s 1941 and London is suffering through the Blitz. Kitty is based at the India Forum - a body advocating Indian independence. Here she meets Ruby who is drawn to the organisation as a relief from her loneliness and a means to understand more about her heritage. She meets Satyajit - a radical - and finds herself torn between her heart and her head.

Kitty also faces a dilemma - she defends Indians called up for conscription but her own husband is determined to serve. She is also concerned about the radical activities of individuals like Satyajit and the possible implications on the work of the Forum.

Both are tested and made to question their loyalties and commitments.

I knew very little about the political situation in India at this time - it was interesting to learn more and understand the impact on Indians living in England.

I have always enjoyed a WWII historical fiction novel but I've never read one like this.

Set in London in 1941, the war provides the backdrop that brings the characters of this book together but never becomes a main feature. Instead, we focus on the fight for Indian independence taking place within London.

An ARP warden with a secret and an Indian lawyer are our leads. Slowly, as the book progresses, these two women become more intertwined but they never have much of a relationship with one another. Instead, we see their relationships with the men around them evolve and the characters of Ruby and Kitty emerge from that.

I learnt a lot about the fight for Indian independence, which I knew happened through the 1940s but had somehow never connected it in my brain to WWII, and the people who fought for it. A great historical fiction novel for anyone who is interested in the end of British colonial rule and the people it impacted.

Neemah Shah sets out to shine a light on the ‘stories that have slipped through history’s cracks’ as she illuminates the lives of Indians who have lived in the UK during the 1940s.

The story is told from the perspectives of two young women, Kitty and Ruby, both of Indian heritage but coming from very different backgrounds. What unites them is their desire to blend in: Ruby, born in England with skin ‘just on the right side of white’ is careful to hide her Indian descent. Kitty, born in Bombay and Oxford educated with fluent English, wore western clothes and even anglicised her name. More importantly, although they do have a good measure of distrust for each other, they are united in their support for the Indian Independence Movement backing the struggle led by Mahatma Ghandi and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Lobbying for independence in the actual home of the Empire is one thing, but pushing for it whilst Great Britain is at war is something else; it poses the question whether the fight against the Nazis is more important than India’s struggle for independence. Indian men were conscripted to the British Army to fight for freedom and democracy when, at the same time, they were not afforded the same rights in their home country.
The story highlights with impactful subtlety that under those circumstances there are no straightforward answers, which creates frustrations that are a fertile breeding ground for extremists.

Throughout the book, the big question of what Independence will look like focuses more and more on discussions about religious and ethnic divisions, something that has haunted modern India ever since the Radcliffe Line was drawn. I finished the story fearful for Kitty (Hindu) and her husband Haseeb (Muslem) who left India because their parents disagreed with their inter-faith marriage and who now, after the war, are thinking of returning home. What kind of home country will they find? – But this will be another story and I wish them the very best of luck.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Picador for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and I loved reading about a part of history from the WWII that I didn't know anything at all so I liked to learn more about it. I think a lot of people who love historical fiction and who love learning about unknown parts in history.

A thread of light by Neema Shah is set WW2 in London. The two main character Ruby and Kitty. They are both of Indian descent. Ruby is an Air raid warden and has seen many fatalities during that time and Kitty works at the Indian Forum where they are campaigning for Independence from the British in India. This is where they both meet. Kitty is also a Lawyer but cannot practice in London and lives with her Muslim Husband Haseeb. Who is just been conscripted to fight for the British even though they can’t get their own independence. They left India because they were ostracized because Kitty is Hindu.
Although I enjoyed this historical WW2 novel which shows the different aspect of the lives in that time. I felt that it was bogged down with too much Politics and Conscription of Asian people and the independence of India at that time. I was expecting a more lighted hearted read due to being a historical novel, and this was far from it. Sorry, a got a bit too heavy for me personally towards the later quarter of the book and I started skipping paragraphs. 3.5 stars from me.

Kitty and Habeeb have left India because her Hindu parents have disowned her for marrying a Muslim man, Ruby is an air raid warden in London and after meeting Satyajit, gets drawn into the activities of the India Forum. The book focuses on the campaign for Indian independence from the UK during WWII and delves into the discrimination that people from commonwealth countries faced despite fighting for Britain.

It's an often difficult topic sensitively handled and despite being fiction, it is very educational if, like me, you don't know much about Indian independence. I enjoyed the way the characters developed throughout, particularly how Kitty got a bit more gumption. A good read but certainly not a light topic!

I was really excited for A Thread of Light because I loved Neema Shah’s first book, Kololo Hill. I loved learning about the Indian freedom movement in the UK during WW2—such an interesting part of history that doesn’t get much attention. But overall, the story didn’t quite grab me. I found Ruby hard to connect with, and the characters felt a bit flat. So different from her previous book. Still glad I read it, as this is an unique story.

this book was a brilliant and different take what ive ever read before on ww2. im a great lover of finding out about that era so seeing something totally new was a great start for this book and it just got better. the plot and the characters were so well drawn out i was instantly in to both their stories and the characters themselves.
this book tells from the vantage point of how those with Indian heritage was involved. they were almost involved with two battles.one at home for their independence and once that the rest of the world was having.
Rub is Brtisish born but has Indian heritage. and Kitty who is from India but has come to London to fight for their countries independence. their stories were so poles apart yet beautifully interlinked.
i felt like i was absorbing and learning all the way through and yet it didnt "feel" like it if that makes sense. i wasnt in lesson! the plot was perfect and i was swept along by both the information and the characters stories. i was learning via them.
i felt like i got such heartache from the stories of people we live alongside. things we take for granted in our every day is what others and their identity constantly have to fight for or against.
it was hard to learn of what they were going through in thier own country but also what they were having to fight for,for their country in this country too. independence it seems was something not many were getting on either side of the shore. and how freedom is something many of us find look different and is different in any culture. I sometimes find it hard to separate myself from that especially for woman in other cultures but this book was gentle with me.
i also felt sad and bad that this is such a non talked about part of that time and our history. so important. that at once makes me feel worse because i feel ignorant and its a active choice we/i dont know more about this isnt it. but ill save my own questioning for my own time.
for now i thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone and all. i think this would be a great read for anyone studying that era too. i know its fictional but it bare so much truths from then having googled and researched more myself.
it does also manage to keep giving us the scope of how bad the war was for everyone here. just a terrible time to try and survive. i cant imagine the terror.
im very grateful to have had the chance to read this book. it feels flimsy to say that, but i appreciate learning what i did from it so much.